Mourners remember Pinkerton student

DERRY — Pinkerton student Kyle Ross was remembered during calling hours at a local funeral home Wednesday for his friendliness and strong work ethic.

Hundreds of mourners streamed into the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium to bid farewell to Ross, of Derry, who died from injuries he suffered in a New Year’s Eve crash. The parking lots near the funeral home were filled to capacity, and mourners could be seen pausing to hug each other in the fading twilight.

One of the teenagers who was a passenger in the car Ross, 17, was driving at the time of the crash recalled his friend’s charming personality and ability to enrich people’s lives.

“I’d only known him a year, but he was my best friend,” said Thompson Upham-Davis, 16, of Chester. “And everybody he knew, he put a smile on their face. He was a great kid.”

Upham-Davis said Ross was a hard worker who excelled at his part-time job.

“All I know is he worked hard at whatever he did and was really good at his job,” Upham-Davis said.Upham-Davis didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries in the crash. Another passenger in the car, Johanna Morse, 16, of Derry was initially listed in critical condition at Tuft’s Medical Center. Her condition recently improved to serious, according to a hospital spokesman.

Ross was driving the car that went out of control and slammed into a tree at a high rate of speed at Gulf Road and Hampshire Drive late on New Year’s Eve, according to police.Other mourners, who asked to remain anonymous, said Ross was extremely smart and excelled at making people laugh. He seemed to have a bright future ahead of him, they said.Ross was remembered by Athletic Director Timothy Powers as a dedicated member of the freshman baseball team he played for in 2012.

Powers said Ross played well as an outfielder on the team that year.

“I remember him being a good kid,” Powers said.

The team won the freshman championship that year, beating Londonderry.

A private liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry.